Overview: School’s Out Washington provides services and guidance for organizations to ensure all young people have safe places to learn and grow when not in school. SOWA is dedicated to building community systems to support quality afterschool, youth development and summer programs for Washington’s children and youth ages 5 through young adulthood.
Position Summary: School’s Out Washington is seeking a dynamic, innovative, experienced marketing and communications leader to play a pivotal role in advancing the organization’s communications efforts and strategies.
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Location: Remote from anywhere in Washington state, or from our Tukwila, Washington office
Responsibilities:
- Provide leadership and strategic direction to SOWA’s teams to develop communications tools and marketing plans that support and advance key programs and initiatives including the annual Bridge Conference, Elevate Washington, Policy & Advocacy, Professional Learning, Data & Evaluation, Fundraising, and more
- Provide creative oversight and brand management for all aspects SOWA’s community-facing assets and outreach efforts
- Lead SOWA’s editorial practice by defining and optimizing content strategy, writing/editing community-connected stories and news, and developing thought leadership articles to inform, inspire, and engage a diverse range of audiences
- Oversee materials development (marketing tools, research, reports, data visualization, etc.) for the organization including content for SOWA’s online resource library
- Supervise and assist the Marketing Manager in creating social media content, analyzing performance, and optimizing strategies and tactics to ensure effective and efficient use of resources
- Develop messaging, case statements, and presentations for funders, policymakers, and other key stakeholders
- Manage the development of key publications including the annual report and other donor communication materials
- Provide project management, budgeting, and strategic oversight for the marketing and communications team as well as special projects like Elevate Washington
- Outsource, coordinate, oversee, and prioritize work with external vendors and consultants
Required Qualifications:
- 7+ years of progressively senior experience in marketing and communications, including at least 2 years in a leadership capacity at a business or nonprofit organization
- 2+ years of experience supervising staff and leading collaborative teams
- Broad written, oral, and visual communication skills
- Able to apply creative, compelling approaches to strategic, integrated communications across platforms for a wide range of communities (BIPOC, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, immigrants, refugees) as well as funders and legislators
- Demonstrated ability to measure the impact and success of communications strategies and content marketing campaigns
- Comfort networking and proactively building relationships with a broad set of stakeholders internal and external to the organization
- Experience vetting and employing foundational and emerging marketing tools and tactics across multiple touch points for diverse audiences
- Proficiency with business, marketing, and design applications including MS Office, Slack, video conferencing, project management tools, Google Analytics, Canva, Adobe Suite, social media management tools, etc.
- Ability to identify and distill essential information that provides guidance to senior leadership
- Experience working cross-culturally, including a genuine appreciation for embedding equity and inclusion within programs, practices, and policies
- Demonstrated commitment to advancing racial equity, including experience in learning and engaging in challenging conversations around racism with colleagues and partners
- Self-aware, with an understanding of the dynamics of privilege
Salary, Hours, and Benefits
Hiring Salary Range: $90K – $108K based on relevant experience for the role
Over time, the employee in this role may earn up to $126,000 per year with additional years of service.
Full-time, 40 hours, Monday-Friday. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Classification: Exempt
Benefit package including medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, retirement, and Paid Time Off.
COVID-19 Policy: In accordance with COVID-19 safety practices, School’s Out Washington has a COVID-19 Vaccination Policy, and all new hires need to be fully vaccinated prior to their first day of employment or have an approved reasonable accommodation (based on a documented disability or sincerely held religious belief) exempting them from the requirement.
Our Equity Commitment: School’s Out Washington is an Equal Opportunity Employer. School’s Out Washington has a commitment to addressing racism, sexism, heterosexism and other discriminatory practices and a commitment to working toward racial equity through undoing institutional and structural racism. Women, People of Color, and LGBTQ individuals are encouraged to apply.
How to Apply
Interested candidates should send their resumes and cover letters as one document to jobs@schoolsoutwashington.org with the subject line “Communications Director.” Applications without cover letters will not be considered.
Cover letters should be no more than 2 pages and should outline how your professional background, experience, interests, and passions specifically correlate to the position and SOWA’s mission and work.
The announcement will remain posted until the position is filled.